This is a story that ran in the Sidelines 100th Anniversary Edition newspaper, a print edition meant to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Sidelines.
Kirksey Old Main has stood the test of time, and for generations of students, classes in the building have been a rite of passage. Now, this piece of university history with a storied past is amidst its latest renovation.
MTSU began as “Middle Tennessee State Normal School.” “Normal” schools were teaching preparation schools that aimed to create standardized teaching norms.
The school opened on Sept. 11, 1911, on a 100-acre farmland site that formerly belonged to the Tom Harrison and Joe Black families.
The building that students now know as Kirksey Old Main, or the KOM, was constructed in 1910 and was the first building on campus. It opened with the rest of the MTSNS in 1911, simply known as “The Administration Building” or “Main Building.”
It was one of only four original buildings on campus, along with Rutledge Hall, the president’s house and the original cafeteria, now known as the Tom H. Jackson building.
In its initial state, the Administration Building was an all-in-one facility, containing the majority of amenities on campus, such as classrooms, administrative offices and the school’s auditorium.
“It was the nerve center of campus, it’s where everything happened,” Andrew McMahan, MTSU archivist of the Albert Gore Research Center, said.
The administration building also housed the library, gymnasium and post office in the early days of MTSNS. MTSNS’s library was located in Room 69 on the third floor and consisted of eight double-tiered shelves, according to the Tennessee Library Association. As the college grew throughout the 20th century, the responsibilities of the administration building lessened as the various departments housed within it spread across campus. At some point in the 1950s, the building was renamed to “Old Main.”
Old Main received major renovations in 1961, 1964, 1965 and 1967. The former auditorium and penthouse were transformed into classrooms and office spaces, and the exterior was slightly modified. At this time, Old Main was used almost entirely for academic purposes.
“The first phase of the construction was the conversion of the penthouse into one major lecture room and several offices,” Hannah Meller, MTSU archivist, said. “They planned to convert the auditorium and other spaces on the ground floor into classrooms, offices, typing rooms, restrooms and storage facilities.”
In 1978, Old Main was renamed for the final time to “Kirksey Old Main” in honor of Howard G. Kirksey, who served in numerous positions at MTSU, including director of the Graduate Division, head of the College of Education, Dean of Instruction and Dean of Faculty. Today, Kirksey Old Main is still predominantly an academic building, housing the College of Basic and Applied Sciences and the Departments of Mathematics, Computer Science and Data Science. In the 2024, MTSU announced that Kirksey Old Main and Rutledge Hall would receive yet another major renovation.
The ongoing $54 million project is going to uncover and restore historic elements from the KOM’s past while giving it much-needed modern infrastructure and amenities.
“One of the big things they mentioned is that some of the original windows are being uncovered,” McMahon said. “They’re adding on that new lobby area on the back. It’s a restoration project in addition to adding on.”
The renovation is expected to be completed in the summer of 2026.
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